Starving! How do I get over it?

Options
2»

Replies

  • davis978
    davis978 Posts: 103 Member
    Options
    Do you know what your BMR is? For me, if I eat less than my BMR I have nightmares.

    To be successful at weight loss, most people have to learn to be satisfied with much smaller portions. But, if you are really truly hungry when you go to bed at night that's a problem.

    Your 600 calorie deficit might be too aggressive or you might want to look at the type of foods you are eating. For me, protein is key.
  • cruzcrzyMarie
    cruzcrzyMarie Posts: 251 Member
    Options
    I remind myself of the phrase "Hunger is not an emergency". I also tell myself I can eat tomorrow. Sometimes this works, sometimes it does not. Try brushing your teeth.
  • JasonH_DFW
    JasonH_DFW Posts: 63 Member
    Options
    For me chewing gum helps. Making sure to drink alot of water before your meals helps alot too.
  • jillianedwards
    jillianedwards Posts: 67 Member
    Options
    I find whenver i eat about a 200-300g serving of Brussels sprouts cooked with about 15-30g of shredded cheese that tends to fill me up nicely! Maybe try eating lower calorie things that you can eat in more volume??
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
    Options
    Eat satiating foods.
  • GothyFaery
    GothyFaery Posts: 762 Member
    Options
    It would help if you made your diary public so we can see what you are eating. Sometimes people eat a lot of high calorie food and that is why they are hungry and have a hard time sticking to their goals. Can't really help if we don't know what you are eating that is making you so hungry.
  • NancyN795
    NancyN795 Posts: 1,134 Member
    Options
    Exercise.

    I hate being hungry. I don't get over it in a few days, a few weeks, a few months. Instead, I eventually break down and eat even more and even worse.

    I also don't truly like to exercise. If I could give it up forever and not suffer negative consequences, I would.

    But... When I discovered that exercising DOESN'T make me hungrier, but DOES allow me to eat enough to not be miserable, well... I decided that exercise is the lesser of two evils. Besides, it has other benefits in addition to allowing me to eat enough food.

    I'm still not a great example. I exercise faithfully every day, but I eat things I shouldn't and don't always track what I eat as well as I should, so my weight loss has been slow. But, I'd never have made it this far if I tried to do it on diet alone.
  • maillemaker
    maillemaker Posts: 1,253 Member
    Options
    For many people, hunger and reduced metabolism is just part of weight loss. It is part of your body's defense mechanism to defend body fat stores.

    There is increasing evidence that once you are obese for some period of time this causes a permanent physiological change. Your body will from then on fight to maintain that weight.

    http://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587(15)00009-1/abstract

    I have always found that when I am losing weight I can tell it because I am cold (reduced metabolism) and hungry. I can tell it without ever getting on a scale. This is true regardless of what I eat - it is about whether my body is burning body fat not the composition of my diet.

    You can mitigate hunger to some extent by eating more protein but for me appetite suppressants are the only sure-fire way to stay on track.

  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    edited February 2015
    Options
    danigrl8 wrote: »
    Before I was logging, weighing , measuring etc I was eating about 2200 calories. My calorie goal is 1590 and I stay at that but I'm so hungry when I get to bed! Am I so used to eating a lot that I can't be totally satiated? Will my body adjust?

    Your ticker says you've lost 2 pounds and have ten to go. Up that calorie goal to lose .5 pounds a week. You need to eat more. Make your diary public for more detailed advice.

    If you're hungry when you go to bed, you need to work in a bedtime snack. I have one just about every night and I've lost 44 pounds and have been maintaining for over a year.

    Also, how long have you been dieting? I recall it taking awhile for my appetite to adjust. I also learned to differentiate between hunger and thirst.
  • lgwmab
    lgwmab Posts: 274 Member
    Options
    Lots of veggies, and water helps a lot! One of my favorite I'm hungry, like my belly button is going to eat my back bone hungry times, I'd eat some baby carrots, and peanut butter! I'm getting back on track myself, as I try to quit smoking, and deal with TONS of stress. Feel free to friend me, we all face our own battles, and we are all here to help, good luck!
  • kaylacarol1989
    kaylacarol1989 Posts: 76 Member
    Options
    Make sure you get your 8, 8 ounces of water a day it helps alot with the hunger pangs, i'm alittle under 1200 calories because of the healthy choices i eat in bulk and i'm never hungry, and my BMR is about 1500 for my weight height and age.
  • danigrl8
    danigrl8 Posts: 22 Member
    Options
    These are all really helpful and make sense. I'll give a little background. I started two months ago (really started). My goal is to lose .5 pound a week because anymore had me at 1300 calories which was not working. I always failed. Right now i am sedentary because of a knee injury. Only doing some lifting. Normally i play soccer 2-3 times per week and do some cardio at the gym 2 times a week.

    I used to eat to the point of feeling overly full and sick. Choices of food weren't good either. My plan is to take small steps with changes because if i change everything at once i fail. My first goal is to reduce my calorie intake, smaller portions , and slowly replace bad foods with good ones. I will make my diary public.

    I can see why yesterday wasn't good. I was hungry all day and the food choices weren't good. My ticker only shows 2 lbs lost because of how inconsistent i was with using MFP. I started the last week of Dec. and i need to change it to reflect that.

    SW: 168
    CW: 161.8
    GW: 145
  • zestyzesty
    zestyzesty Posts: 57 Member
    Options
    Hey. First thing first, be kind to yourself. Getting healthy is a long term thing. It doesn't sound as though you were eating 1000s of calories and although it is true you need to cut some calories to lose weight, maybe you could reduce it gradually instead of suddenly cutting out over 500 a day? (Maybe cut 100 cals a week?) You could have a look at lower/medium GI foods (glycaemic, or sugar, index) which will keep your blood sugar at a more constant level. Good examples are brown bread, brown rice, bananas and oatmeal/porridge. As others have said, fill up on veggies- especially good are celery and strawberries, which actually use more calories being digested than what they contain. Good luck, and remember, even if you go over your target intake a bit, you can still lose weight, just a bit more slowly.
  • emtomas
    emtomas Posts: 6 Member
    Options
    I'm just getting serious about my weight loss and using My Fitness Pal as well, and i know EXACTLY how you feel about that starving. I'm in my second week of reduced caloric intake, and it has certainly gotten better, but the first few days i felt constant "hunger" pangs. One day last week it was a constant gnawing in my tummy, and i felt like i was in a fog, so i broke down and indulged in a burrito with my boss. Funny this was, i couldn't even finish the burrito, and didn't touch the chips on the side! So it does get better, and your body does adjust.

    One thing that is working for me is to drink hot tea throughout the day. I'm lucky enough to be able to keep an electric kettle at my desk, so i make sure to brew up a cup of something every hour, and have a bottle of water to drink in between. I pee every half hour now, but that also keeps me from sitting in front of my computer for hours on end without moving. Win-win, i say.

    Congratulations on your weight loss so far, and good luck on continuing forward!
  • danigrl8
    danigrl8 Posts: 22 Member
    Options
    Thank you for the tips! I'll try to be less hard on myself too.
  • cebreisch
    cebreisch Posts: 1,340 Member
    Options
    I remember telling a dietician that - that I was eating reasonably healthy, and staying within range of my goals, but was HUNGRY still. She suggested I increase my fiber intake. That helped IMMENSELY.

    I use chocolite protein bars and chocolate crispy caramel from www.healthsmartfoods.com. 1 protein bar has 10g fiber and 10g protein and about 100 calories. 2 of the caramels have 12 g fiber, and 60 calories. You can usually get coupon codes off of www.retailmenot.com.
  • chrislee1628
    chrislee1628 Posts: 305 Member
    Options
    are you drinking enough water? have a glass of water and wait a while, could just be thirst
  • gaurdgoose
    gaurdgoose Posts: 106 Member
    Options
    The more sweets and carbohydrates you eat the hungrier you will be.
    Eat more non starchy vegetables less starch and fruit
    Add more fiber to your diet even if you have to add psyllium husk (think metamucil)
    This will bulk up and make you feel fuller longer you should get 30 g of fiber per day
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Options
    gaurdgoose wrote: »
    The more sweets and carbohydrates you eat the hungrier you will be.
    Eat more non starchy vegetables less starch and fruit
    Add more fiber to your diet even if you have to add psyllium husk (think metamucil)
    This will bulk up and make you feel fuller longer you should get 30 g of fiber per day

    Your first claim is always true. It depends on the person. Carbs and sweets fill me up and do not leave me hungrier.

    Your second claim: there is no reason not to eat starchy vegetables and fruit. They are just food.

    Your third claim: that depends on the person.
  • franola12
    franola12 Posts: 45 Member
    Options
    higgins8283801 wrote: »
    I have lost almost 50lbs and am in maintenance.

    For me.

    1. I drink water. Wait 10 minutes. Sometimes hunger pains are just thirsty cries.

    2. If I really am hungry, I stick with low calorie snacks, cheese sticks, hard boiled eggs, veggies, nuts. Things that don't take much to produce a full feeling, but still satisfy me.

    3. If I have calories to spare I will throw in some peanut butter or hummus.

    4. If I want sweet, I do fruit, smoothies, and frozen yogurt.

    This advice is about as sensible as you can get! I've also tried strong green tea - hot or cold. It's very satisfying to me.

Categories